Litter carrier



M ML Jan. 9, 1922.

E. B. Fl NK. LITTER CARRIER.

FILED JAN-17.1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- ll, ltllilllm i lFIN'JEC, 0F lElElEllilEl'El'lLrVhlll'Idi.

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Application January 17, 1922. Elerial No. 529,832.

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, Enwnnn l3. llijnn, a citizen of the llnited States residing at Philadelphia in the county oi. Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,- have invented new and useful liitter Carrier;and l do hereby declare the following; to be a full, clear and exact description of the invention, such as will. enable others slrilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

The invention relates to litter carriers for use in connection with cow stables and the like, and has for its object to provide a dcvice of this'character comprising an endless chain extending around sprockets and portion ot" the chain extending; through. tro hs adjacentstalls and provided with litt r scraping elements, which elements during the movement of the endless chain convey the litter to the outside of the stable to any suitable point of deposit.

A further object. is to provide hinged doors gravity closed and actuated by the litter carrier and forming: means for preventing entrance of cold air to the stable as the various. scraping elements pass through the wall of the stable A iiurther object is to provide limit-US$01 driving the endless chain and also at the same time locating a cleaning; brush posi tioned to engage the cleaning elements and clean the same before they reenter the stable With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement oi? parts hereinafter forth, shown in the drawings, described and rlailned, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope oi? what is claimed without departing :troi'n the spirit oil the invention.

ln the drawings:-

.l ig'ure 1 is a horizmntal sectional view through a portion of a barn showing plan view of the stalls and the litter carrioiz Figure S3 is a transverse vertical sectional. view throu 'h one end of the litter carrier and b i a portion of a barn.

Figure 3 is detail sectioi'ial view tal n on line 3 3? of Figure 1!.

Beferringto the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a passageway entendinp; the length of the barn or stable 2 which pas sageway has disposed on either side thereof stalls 3 in which cattle or other animals are received. Disposed adjacent the ends 4: of

the stalls 3, are the portions 5 of an endless litter receiving); trough 6, in which trough a channel iron 7 disposed tor receiving and guiding the endless chain 8, which chain is substantially flush with the bottom 6 of the trough and has secured thereto scraping blocks 9. lhe blocks 9 move in the direction of the arrows a and scrape the litter and the like from the bottom 6 of the trough and convey the same to a point outside the end 10 of the barn 2 where it is deposi in any suitable place. its each cleaning element 9 passes through the end 10 ol. the barn, a hinged closure 1]. swings outwardly and as soon as the cleaning element has passed outside of the barn, the hinged. closure l1 again swings to closed positioh there by preventing; entrance of colo air to the in terior ot the barn.

The endless chain 8 adjacent the end 12 or the barn passes over idle sprockets 13 which guide the chain in itS DIOVQIHGIllZ. Chain 8 at a point outside 0'? the end 10 of the barn passes over drive sprockets 14c which. sprockets are driven by a driven shaft 15 provided with bevelled gear 16 which mesh with bevelled near 17 carried by vertically disposed shafts 18, which shafts are carried by the drive sprockets it. It will be seen that when the drive shaft 15 is rotated in its bearings 19 lllllfillgl]. the medium or the drive pulley 20, whichrnay be belted through the medium of the belt ill. to any source of power that the drive sprockets i l will be rotated siinnltaneously in the direction ot the arrows Z) and consequently the chain 7' will be moved in the direction of the arrow thereby causing the scraping clenients 9 to scrape the litter treat]. the trough (3 and convey the 'to a point outside of the barn where it will. be deposited. .Lt is obvious that a portion 03E the litter may adhere to the blocks 10 and 1 i no (i'tI'TlGd back into the barn or stable there'l ore to olrviate this di'l'licnlty a rotary brush 22 is provided, which brush carried by a frame 23 preferably pivotally mounted on the drive shaft 15 and driven by means of a belt 24 which belt extends over a pulley carried by the drive shaft and over a pulley carried by the shaft oi? the rotary briish. lit will be seen that the belt 24.- will move in the direction of the arrow 0 and consequently the rotary brush will. move in the direction. of the arrow 6, thereby during; the rapid rotation thereof will engage the inclined surfaces 28 of the lllll scraping and cleaning elements 9 and cleans said elements before they again enter the bar through the opening 29 which normally is closed by a hinged closure 30, thereby preventing entrance of air to the barn.

From the above it will be seen that a litter carrier is provided which is simple in construction, positive in its action, may be ap plied to any shape of barn whether round or L-shaped and one wherein a pivoted cleaning brush is provided which will prevent dirty cleaning elements from entering the barn and the pivotal action thereof will allow suflicient play to accommodate brush to the inclined surfaces 28 of the cleaning elements in such a manner that the brush Will clean the entire surface 28 during a slight upward movement of the pivoted frame.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful.

1. The combination'with a barn. having; a passageway therethrough and stalls disposed to each side of said passageway of means for cleaninn' litter from said barn said means comprising an endless conveyor assing through troughs adjacent the stalls, said endless conveyor comprising a chain, said chain being disposed Within a channel in the bottoms of the troughs, conveying and scraping elements carried by said chain, means for moving said chain, pivoted members carried by the barn and actuated by the conveying and scraping elements as they pass out of and into the barn and means for cleaning the scraping elements after they pass outside of the barn and before they reenter the learn.

2. A litter carrier comprising an endless conveyor chain having scraping; and conveying elements, said conveyor chain extending over idle sprockets, said chain also extending over spaced drive sockets, a drive shaft disposed above the drive sprocl-tets, gear connections between the drive shaft and the drive-sprockets, a pivoted frame carried by the drive shaft and having its free end disposed above the conveyor and in registration with the cleaning and scraping elements earricd thereby, a rotary brush carried by the free end of the pivoted frame and eonneetions between said brush and the drive shaft whereby said lrnsh will be rotated during the movement of the endless conveyor, and as the cleaning and scraping elements pass thereunder.

3. The combination with a litter carrier comprising an endless conveyor having ping; elements thereon, said elements having; their upper 'laces angularly disnosed, of a pivoted cleaning member disposed above the conveyor, said pivoted cleaning element bei lg; pivotally mounted on a drive shaft. a. rotary brush carried by the free end oi the cleaning member and positioned to engage the angnlarly disposed faces of the cleaning elements and means for rotating the rotary brush through the medium of the drive shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD B. FINK.

itnesses MARJORIE LovnLL, WILLIAM McKILLirs. 

